This invention relates to rifle telescopes, and more particularly to scopes for long distance shooting where significant elevation compensation is required.
Optical telescopes are used as precision sighting devices for rifles and other firearms and projectile-firing devices. A rifle scope normally is adjustable in windage and elevation to align the optical axis (as indicated by crosshairs or comparable reticle) with the point of impact of a bullet at a selected distance. Conventional rifle scopes employ internal optical elements that are moved within the scope tube to shift the optical aiming point. Finely threaded adjustment knobs contact the internal elements to provide selected degrees of shift in vertical and horizontal directions. These internally adjusted scopes provide a limited angular shift of the aiming point; excessive shift leads to vignetting of the image and other unwanted aberrations. Larger scope tubes permit greater image shift amounts, but at increased cost and problematic compatibility with common scope ring mounts.
For very long range shooting, conventional rifle scopes are unable to provide adequate negative elevation angles to align with the significantly depressed point of impact of the bullet with respect to the rifle barrel axis. Prior rifle scopes have attempted to avoid the limitations of internal-adjustment by eliminating the internal adjustment optics, and steering the entire scope tube to provide a wide range of fine angular adjustments without optical limitations. Such scopes have a forward support connected to the rifle, with a hinged element on the support that receives the scope. At the rear, the scope tube passes through the bore of a block, with the contact points of adjustment knobs defining the tube""s position in each axis. However, with the powerful cartridges normally employed for shooting at distances at which the elevation limitations of internally adjusted scopes are exceeded, significant recoil is developed.
Prior externally adjustable scopes accommodated recoil forces by allowing the entire scope to reciprocate axially with respect to the mounts, with springs that absorbed the recoil energy and returned the scope to the original position. This xe2x80x9csliderxe2x80x9d approach is complex, cumbersome, can generate alignment errors, and is believed to have been long abandoned in the market for these and other reasons. These prior scopes also suffered the disadvantage of being difficult to disassemble and maintain. In particular, the rear mount that surrounds the rear portion of the tube must be removed from the rifle to remove, service, or change the scope. This leads to a loss of xe2x80x9czero,xe2x80x9d which is the alignment established by the adjustment knobs.
Accordingly, there is a need for a rifle scope that provides wide ranges of elevation adjustment and convenient dismounting without the disadvantages of prior scope systems.
The present invention overcomes the limitations of the prior art by providing a rifle telescope having a scope body with an objective end and an eyepiece end. A front mount and a rear mount are spaced apart from each other and connected to the scope body. The front mount is connected more proximate to the objective end, and the rear mount is connected more proximate to the eyepiece. The scope body is axially fixed to the front mount while being pivotally connected to the front mount. The rear mount includes an adjustable suspension operable to establish a selected vertical and horizontal position of the scope body portion received within the rear mount. The scope body may include a ball portion that interacts with a socket portion of the front mount to provide pivoting, or may include a flange that is constrained by elastomeric rings on the front mount to provide pivoting, centering, and shock absorption. The rear mount may be split in two portions to open and permit removal of the scope body. An objective lens assembly may be slidably mounted at the objective end to absorb recoil forces.